14 PICTURE OF ORGANIZED NATURE. 



plants themselves. Of this kind are the grasses and 

 the palms. 



Plants of the third kind either bear no seeds at all, 

 but, in their stead, buds, as the mushrooms ; or the 

 seeds are quite simple, and comparable only to the 

 buds in the seeds of Dicotyledones. These buds are 

 considered as seeds without seed-leaves, and the 

 plants which produce them are called Acotyledones 

 (having no seed-leaves). Mushrooms, lichens, mosses, 

 ferns, and marine plants, particularly wrak (fucus), 

 and laver (ulva), are of that kind. 



From a careful comparison of these three kinds of 

 vegetables, it is unquestionably ascertained that the 

 plants without seed-leaves are in the lowest state of 

 vegetable existence : above them are the Monocoty- 

 ledones : and, lastly, the most perfect are the Dicoty- 

 ledones. We may therefore consider these three 

 tribes of plants as presenting three degrees of per- 

 fection. 



II. 



It has been fully demonstrated by observation, 

 that each of the foregoing tribes of plants is divisible 

 into several distinct Orders, or natural assemblages ; 

 every Order containing a multitude of plants, which 

 are distinguished, by their own peculiarities, from 

 plants of other Orders. Thus the mushrooms, lichens, 



